Fill in the blanks.
1. Janet and Peter are getting married. I heard it straight from the ....................... mouth.
Straight from the horse's mouth means from the most reliable source of information.
2. I wanted the party to be a secret but my sister let the ......................... out of the bag.
To let the cat out of the bag is to reveal a secret by mistake.
3. The moment she started ....................... me up, I knew that she wanted to gain a favor.
To butter someone up is the praise them.
4. The two brothers are always pulling each other's .........................
To pull someone's leg is to tease them.
5. Don't trust him. He is a ........................ in sheep's clothing.
A wolf in sheep's clothing is a dangerous person who pretends to be harmless.
6. He won the race ...................... down.
When you manage to do something hands down you accomplish it without a lot of effort.
7. By taking action against him for your failure you are just .................. up the wrong tree.
To bark up the wrong tree is to pursue a misguided course of action.
8. Don't try to make fun of him. He ........................... off the handle pretty easily.
To fly off the handle is to become very angry.
9. That laptop cost me ...................
If something costs you an arm and a leg, it is very expensive.
10. I hate having to tell him what I really think of him but I have to ............................ the bullet now.
To bite the bullet is to force yourself to do something unpleasant.
11. The indulgent mother turns a ...................... to her son's faults.
12. The enemy was armed to the ....................; yet our soldiers managed to beat them.
When you are armed to the teeth, you are extremely well equipped.
Answers
1. Janet and Peter are getting married. I heard it straight from the horse’s mouth.
2. I wanted the party to be a secret but my sister let the cat out of the bag.
3. The moment she started buttering me up, I knew that she wanted to gain a favor.
4. The two brothers are always pulling each other’s leg.
5. Don’t trust him. He is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
6. He won the race hands down.
7. By taking action against him for your failure you are just barking up the wrong tree.
8. Don’t try to make fun of him. He flies off the handle pretty easily.
9. That laptop cost me an arm and a leg.
10. I hate having to tell him what I really think of him but I have to bite the bullet now.
11. The indulgent mother turns a blind eye to her son’s faults.
12. The enemy was armed to the teeth; yet our soldiers managed to beat them.
